ON BOARD WITH THE COMMODORE ENSENADA 2002

ON BOARD WITH THE COMMODORE

ENSENADA 2002

Forecast for the day was 15 to 20 Kt SW with locally stronger gusts in the afternoon. Showers or thunderstorms likely. The Newport to Ensenada 2002 was our first race with our new boat a 1999 J 125 named LUCKY DOG.    

At 10:45 LUCKY DOG call sign was changed to BYC-1 as Commodore Walker stepped aboard from the club’s race dock. Right off the dock, a rain squall came through which sent everyone diving for their foul weather gear. But we can’t complain, nor can we wipe the smile off our faces. The next thirteen hours was some of the best sailing I have ever experience in the Newport to Ensenada race 

Fortunately for us, Commodore Walker attended S/C Anderson weather report that morning, which brought together our strategy. We had a great start, set the spinnaker and were off to the races.  In hindsight we probably set the spinnaker to early, we were laying the mark at the start and the weather was building, as predicted by S/C Anderson. The fun meter was beginning to read all grins until the wind headed us by 20 degrees at Oceanside and we had to go back to our jib. This lasted for about an hour until the wind backed again and the chute went back up.

As the LUCKY DOGS knot log recorded a 15.8, the GPS told us we were really doing 16.7, I looked over for Commodore Walker’s reaction to this sudden surge in boat speed as we headed down this rather large swell just off Oceanside. I thought I might catch the commodore’s eyes wide open and hands gripping the boat tight. The opposite was the case,  “I’ve never gone this fast before” smiling ear to ear as he ground in the spinnaker for the next wave. Along with his game face, Commodore Walker brought some of the best quote’s “ Bring it on, we’re boiling, we’re going to be finished before 1:00AM” were only some of the comments made by this exceptional competitor.

We finished at 1:58 and the celebrating began. LUCKY DOG finished third in class and we experienced some of the best yachting in history. Fleet Captain Craig Reynolds organized one of the best Balboa Yacht Club events in history with twenty-eight boats participating in the race, only three shies of the yacht club with most entries award. The clubs hospitality suite was full of members telling their sea stories, which was almost better than the race. The IT’S OK crew also invited all participants to a huge spread at their suite at the Coral. If you missed that one you missed a huge shift! Thank you, Lou and Andy!   If you’re not a sailboater any longer or never have been, but want to join in on the fun next year, be sure to contact next years Ensenada Race chairman or the Fleet Captain. Join the fun and bring home the smiles! Let’s go yachting!

****

Commodore Walker passed away this last week, this one hurt like a punch below the belt. I will always remember his warm greetings  " Lenny Bose"  December 30, 2018.

On the Harbor: King tides and my favorite columns this year

By LEN BOSE

“Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” so let’s kick off our sandals, put some socks on and wrap up the year on the harbor. Although, you might want to find your sea boots before you sit down in your favorite chair with your beverage of choice.

Starting on December 20 through the 25th, king tides will be pushing a lot of water through the harbor. Our highest tide will be on Sunday, Dec. 23 at 8:38 a.m. at 6.7 feet to a low tide of -1.4 at 6:02 p.m. According to my simple math, that’s more than eight feet for water rushing in an out of the harbor in about eight and a half hours. The good news is that the boat parade will not be affected all that much. If you do launch a boat for the parade, you’ll need to pay close attention to the tides, because the water will not cover the launch ramp in the Dunes at the peak low tides. With the high surf advisory for the weekend, Public Works might have to be on their toes this weekend.

The king tides will be returning on January 20 and 21. Just wondering, do any of you feel the harbor should have its own sea level indicator? Last time I asked, the city knew of one in L.A. Harbor. I’m not looking for anything fancy – maybe a stick with some notches in it from Home Depot. One last item: If any of the City Council or Harbor Commissioners are wondering what I want for Christmas while at Home Depot, will you pick up a few solar red and green lights for the channel markers in the Upper Bay? I still call it the Back Bay and have a hard time picking up those channel markers on dark nights.

Back to wrapping up the year. Thought I would refer back to my favorite stories this year, just in case you felt the year passed by too fast or you missed one of my columns. Click on the link to find the full story.

“Sailing down the coast during the Baja Ha Ha rally...magical”

www.stunewsnewport.com/index.php/archives/front-page-archive/4801-on-the-harbor-112018

My favorite story of the year...cruising down Baja. Spindler sells boating better than anyone I have ever met, and if you’ve never cruised Mexico, sign up for the Baja Ha Ha next year. Power and sailboats are welcome, and then you can say you did it. It’s a memory you will keep for as long as you live. Have fun, enjoy your boat and check out of the rat race. I strongly recommend it! Also, should this story make it to someone from the National Sailing Hall of Fame, I nominate Richard Spindler for the class of 2019. In my opinion, he has earned the recognition.

“We need more sailors like Emily Wolken”

www.stunewsnewport.com/index.php/archives/front-page-archive/4174-on-the-harbor-081718 

This is one of my favorite stories from this year that still brings a smile to my face. By the third mark in the race, Wolken had worked her way back up to second place when she was side by side with the first place boat, when he tacked away and started sailing to the wrong mark. She kindly informed her competitor that he was sailing to the wrong mark, where he changed his course and stayed in first place to win the race. Wolken held on to her second position which was her best finish of the series. She finished 12th out of a fleet of 27 in the series. After hearing about this story, I called Wolken’s stepmom, Amy, the day after the championships and asked if it was okay to interview Emily. Emily is 10 years old and sails a Phoenix sabot; she explained the story and I should have asked why she just did not let her competitor sail in the wrong direction. After hearing the innocence in her voice, my gut tells me she would have answered: “Because it was the right thing to do

“Catching up with sailor Tom Corkett aka TC”

www.stunewsnewport.com/index.php/archives/front-page-archive/3818-on-the-harbor-062218 

TC is the man, my mentor. Over the years, TC has taken home some of the most prestigious awards that can be given out on our harbor by winning the Newport Harbor Yacht Club’s Burgee of Merit and the Don Vaughn Memorial Trophy. However, my favorite and maybe even TC’s, is the War Canoe he won for winning the Transpac overall in 1963. Today, you can find TC at the start of this year’s Pacific Cup aboard Runaway or racing a Harbor 20 with one of his 10 grandchildren. When I ended my interview, I thanked TC and he said, “I’ll sea ya on the water.”

“Catching up with my good friend Mark Gaudio” 

www.stunewsnewport.com/index.php/archives/front-page-archive/3173-on-the-harbor-032318   

Gaudio is a good friend and spends a lot of time giving back to the sport of sailing. My favorite quote from this story was when Gaudio recalled fond memories on the harbor now lost in time. “We used to sail our boat over to Shark Island, now Linda Isle, and play Army. From there we would walk over the Pacific Coast Highway bridge to Will Wright’s for ice cream. Summer days seemed to have the wind blowing 10 knots out of the west. We could pull our boats up onto a beach at the Fun Zone and goof around there, or we would sail up to the 19th Street beach and go to Tasty Freeze. Sometimes Phil Ramming and I would just fill our boats with water balloons and throw them at people on Balboa Island. You cannot do that now, but it sure was a lot of fun then.”

That’s a wrap!

Sea ya next year.

~~~~~~~~

Len Bose is a yachting enthusiast, yacht broker and harbor columnist for StuNewsNewport.

Len Bose Yacht Sales Antipasto for Duffy Crew

2108 Holiday Antipasto for Duffy Crew

This is the second year that LBYS has maka' the antipasto for the Duffy crew. It's all about keeping our customers happy and the Duffy Crew makes it easy.  Special thanks to the  Service Manager Gerardo Martinez, Janet Brisky, Toni Olague and the WHOLE Duffy team for making us look smart in front of our customers.  Thank you from the Bose Family.

On the Harbor: Special Harbor Commission meeting aboard the Balboa ferry

Harbor Commissioner Don Yann reviews his objectives for the upcoming year aboard the Balboa ferry

By LEN BOSE

Just in case you were wondering, I did attend the November 17 special meeting of the Harbor Commission aboard one of the Balboa car ferries. About 50 people were greeted to a cool crisp Saturday morning harbor tour, where six harbor commissioners reviewed their objectives for the coming year.

Public attendance was encouraging, yet questions were slim to none, and the whole tour felt a little rushed to me, missing some of the topics, that in my opinion, are important. But hey, let’s stay positive because being negative really slows down an already slow process. 

Personally, I feel the city has a strong group of volunteers that form the Harbor Commission, and as a seat-of-the-pants sailor, I feel they all have a positive passion for the well-being of our harbor.

Among the items of importance in the coming year are the changes in Title 17 of the municipal code that covers our harbor. Most everything that governs our harbor is in Title 17, so whenever you notice public outreach meetings on this topic, be sure to attend and express your opinions. I will do my best to keep you updated along the way.

One very positive sign I noticed was that Harbor Commissioner Scott Cunningham has taken the helm regarding harbor dredging. This is an overwhelming task that deals with more than seven different government agencies, with an estimated cost of $22 million to complete. The money and the permits are the lower hurdles; where to place more than 200,000 cubic yards of unsuitable material is, comparatively, the high jump. Last time the city dredged less than 10 years ago, the Port of Long Beach was accepting these materials to fill in a new commercial port. I clearly recall staff expressing how difficult it would be if the city was unable to bring these materials into Long Beach for disposal.

On another positive note is the increased effort in code enforcement in the harbor, which has been overlooked for too long. If I heard Assistant City Manager Carol Jacobs correctly, there will be added code enforcement in the harbor very soon. Like I have said before, my concerns are the continuity of the enforcement.

After the harbor tour, I went around to the different yacht clubs to gain an understanding of each club being required to complete a permit for events that exceed the harbor’s speed limit. Permits can be obtained up to six months in advance. I was unclear if this is for all regattas or just the events where vessels exceed the speed limit. Sailing events and yacht clubs will not be the only harbor users that require a permit.

I want to shout out to all the people who came up to me after the meeting and thanked me for writing my column. I do appreciate your comments and thank you all for your heartfelt remarks.

So, let’s wrap up the year by making sure you attend the Harbor Commission meeting at Marina Park on Wednesday, Dec.12 at 6:30 p.m., and if you can, arrive earlier for the study session that begins at 5 p.m., which will be focused on the Harbor Vision committee. As one of those under 30-foot boat owners, this topic is a big concern to me with the loss of so many smaller slips being eaten up by marina operators who would like to increase their marinas with large slips.

I also have some breaking news...the city has hired Kurt Borsting as our new Harbormaster. From a quick Google search, Borsting is coming from the City of Long Beach, where he has been the superintendent for Marine Operations. My sources indicate that Borsting will likely be attending the Harbor Commission meeting and be introduced there.

One last thing before I leave you, how many of you read The Log article by Parimal Rohit on November 11: “Duffy Boats founder narrowly loses re-election campaign?” Well, according to the Orange County Registrar of Voters, on Sunday morning, December 2, they certified that all ballots had been counted. In District 3, Marshall “Duffy” Duffield with 18,458 votes and 50.05 percent defeated Tim Stoaks, who garnered 18,422 votes and 49.95 percent, with Duffield winning by only 36 votes.

I had a chance to talk to Duffield that Sunday morning while walking the docks to congratulate him on his victory. He just said, “Yea, wasn’t that something,” and shook his head. I was not about to go on the record with him at that time, so we talked about Harbor 20 sailing and boat building. As far as I am concerned, this is fantastic news and wraps up a very constructive year for our harbor. More breaking news! It appears at the time of writing this there may be a recount. Very similar to being protested on the race course looks like we might be headed to the protest room.

Sea ya

~~~~~~~~

Len Bose is a yachting enthusiast, yacht broker and harbor columnist for StuNewsNewport.

FOR SALE: 2015 Sea Ray 310 Sundancer

 2015 Sea Ray 310 Sundancer

ASKING $ 175,000

The MerCruiser Axius joystick steering makes it simple for a novice to dock and navigate tight spaces. This 310 Sundancer is loaded with options including twin MerCruiser 4.5L 2450 HP engines( 200 Hours), 5KW Kohler generator, TV in V-berth, gel coat dash, indirect cockpit lighting, cockpit cover, extended aft bimini, transom Stereo remote, duel 30 amp shore power, extended swim platform, flagpole and base, windless anchor with chain and rode. The cockpit includes a refrigator, a grill & BBQ. Epoxy barrier coat bottom paint and full camper enclosure are included. This 310 Sundancer is ready to enertain your family and friends today.

FOR SALE: 22' Newport Classic " Club Launch"

2011  22' Newport Classic

Club Launch

ASKING $ 89,000

The 22' Newport Classic "Club Launch" is just that a classic. Built by Jack Cole of Skipjack fame these "Littlest Big Boats" are one of the best looking boats on the water. We are talking Hinckley quilty, style and grace that commands the respect of our harbors best yachtsman.

The club Launch is perfect for the boater that is looking for something that will easily cruise the harbor and provide an open-water hull for long day trips to the island, your favorite cove or just that one particular harbor.

She is a fantastic boat for any harbor especially Dana Point where you might want to head outside from time to time.

ASKING $ 89,000 this vessel is extraordinarily clean!

2018 Baja Ha Ha " It's a rally"

2018 Baja Ha Ha    Turtle Bay                 Photos Courtesy of Richard Spindler

Over the end of October and the first part of November I joined Chris Killian aboard his Lagoon 41 “Derive” for the twenty-fifth running of the Baja Ha Ha cruisers rally down the Baja coast. The Ha Ha starts in San Diego with a party and ends in Cabo San Lucus with a party. In between, there are two stops one at Turtle Bay and the other in Bahia Santa Marina and yes the Ha Ha is no friend of your liver it’s a “RALLY”.  That was the battle cry aboard “Derive” for the next ten days “It’s a Rally.”

When I first stepped aboard “Derive” the skipper Killian was very concerned that I would have difficulty with the concept of cruising and that we would not be racing. Killian would repeatedly remind me “ We are cruising, leaving the rat race behind us.” I just kept thinking to myself we are sailing down Baja and I am going to see what this cruising catamaran can do. As we provisioned the boat I started to look at the weather closely and yes we would be cruising because there was no forecasted wind down the Baja coast.

I then shifted into plan B which was “while cruising, do as the cruisers do.” Killian and I headed to the sendoff party that was located in the parking lot of the San Diego West Marine. During our walk, Killian explained that the organizing authority of this rally is the Grand Poobah and his many helpers. We were headed to a Halloween custom send-off party so I started looking for a person with a tall blue furry hat on with water buffalo horns coming out the sides that said yabba-dabba-doo. What I found was 6’4”+ surfer with a tall black top hat, black jacket with tails, short pants and flip-flops.

The Grand Poobah 

I knew he was the original publisher of the sailing magazine Latitude 38, which he had sold a couple years earlier, and owned one badass looking catamaran that appears to be doing 20 knots just at anchorage by the name of “Profligate”. The next day the rally started with the Poobah breaking the silence on VHF channel 69 to start the rally. We are cruising so we were running a little late and turned the corner around the Shelter Island Customs dock into the main San Diego channel and that’s when it hit me, all 156 boats were lined up in the parade with crews in costumes and large smiles. We were off to see the wizard and start our eight hundred mile tour and powered out the channel. By the time most of the fleet was just outside of Point Loma the Grand Poobah informed us it was a rolling start and wished us all good luck in our cruise and fair winds. He and his crew were heading offshore in search of more breeze, aboard “Derive” I was moving around the boat like a big dog locked in a small house as the skipper turned off one engine and cut the boat RPMs by half.  Killian laughed and said, “We are cruising Len and we have 320 miles to go and just enough fuel to make it at this speed.” I looked back out to sea and decided that our 5-knot VMG straight at the make made more sense than heading out fifty miles looking for wind.

The night was pitch black with every star in the universe looking down at us, with a light show of shooting stars racing across the sky every minute. All 156 boats had their running lights and steaming lights on and it looked like a long string of white lights reaching across the horizon behind us and in front of use. The white lights in front of us were the ones bothering me and I kept wondering how they got so far in front. I am a strict believer in no alcohol while underway at sea and each time I looked down at the chart plotter and noticed our 5 knots speed over ground I would rub my face and felt like I was going through rehab.

I took a deep breath and convinced myself there were more lights behind us, by the time the rally had reached Cabo San Lucas I realized that if I was racing we would have turned around halfway through the first night. As I became at one with the cruising lifestyle I was pondering the thought that this was the twenty-firth ha ha with over 3,000 boats entering this cruise and 10,000 soles completing this pilgrimage.

This Poobah dude has done as much for our sport, of boating, then Hobie Alter or Roger MacGregor. While in Cabo I walked up to Richard Spindler, the Poobah himself, and asked for an interview. Spindler is constantly being surrounded by the cruisers and his volunteers with questions just as if he was working on the floor of a stock exchange during the rally. I was extremely surprised when he said yes, “ Let's meet at the party in a couple of hours and walk off to where it is quiet, whatever it takes.” he said.

Spindler was born in Berkeley and went to school at U.C. Santa Barbara and U.C. Berkeley. “At first I was a surfer then I developed a hole in my eardrum and it was recommended to me that I stay out of the water. Well, that really did not work for me so I started sailing a Flying Dutchman in the estuary. The first time I saw god was when four of us took the Dutchman into the Bay while it was blowing 25 knots and the water at 55 degrees. The mast broke when we flipped the boat.” Spindler put his head down and shook his head as if he was still counting his blessings. I never found out how the made it back to shore. He just said yep, clicked his head to the side and moved to the next question. 

Spindler has been very successful at observing things in the marine business then tweaking them and making them better. He started with the “Sea of Cortez” sailing week and had 150 boats entered in 1982 which lasted for five years. “Then a Mexican fellow decided to commercialize it and it all went to pot. That’s what happened when I could only work one week into the event each year while running Lat. 38.” he said.

In 1990 Spindler had noticed the Long Beach Yacht Clubs cruise down Baja and felt that it was a little too complex for the vast majority of the cruisers. “What was needed was the antithesis of a yacht club event. Cruisers do not need a large formal dinner banquet or race committee at a finish line. Just keep it simple, with a few rules yet keep it safe.” he said. It also helped to have the largest distribution of any other sailing magazine on the planet and Spindler sold the event from his heart. “ My whole thing in life is to watch people have fun with their boats” he said. I have been selling in the marine industry for twenty-eight years and admired and respected his love for our sport.

When I asked Spindler what was his favorite part of the rally he replied “ “Love the party on the Bahia Santa Maria hill it’s so surreal. The fabulous sailing moments and all the people using their boats. I’m very, very proud of the Ha Ha.” 

Another feature to the Ha ha that sticks to your mind is the VHF & SSB Net or broadcasts that occur throughout the day. How Spindler keeps his cool through all the traffic is beyond me while orchestrating the organizational part of the broadcast. While in Turtle Bay a cruiser asked if he should buy fuel here. In his typically blunt yet good-natured style, he replied “ Well I am not sure how to answer that, do you need fuel? There is not a lot of choices here, I’m not sure how to answer this.” Another one was this lady with a deep Norwegian accent that came on the radio, with panic in her voice, to find out where had everyone had gone to, on the second night. “ Ha Ha cruise, ha ha cruise where did everyone go, I do not see anyone on my A.I.S. what happened where is everyone? Over”. Fortunately, a voice came down from the stars and calmed the panicked boater by explaining how the fleet spreads out and your A.I.S only goes out so many miles. My favorite was an elderly voice asking the poobah if she can bring the dog to the beach. The poobah replied that there really is no enforcement on the beach and if she kept the dog on a leash and it did not bite anyone it would be OK. In which she replied that “He’s an old dog and does not have any teeth.” The Poobah came back with a deep laugh and said: “ It kind of sounds like me, we should be fine on the beach.”  The radio net is a huge part of this rally that gives people a source of insurance that is easy to understand and comforting enough to sleep through the night after a problem is solved our should one sneak its head up. You can almost hear that guy from the Allstate commercial.

When asked why boaters should do the Ha Ha? Spindler said There is safety in numbers, yet the bottom line is to have fun with your boat. 

I then asked how he replies to the questions of safety in Mexico? “You have people that do the Ha Ha that tell me they feel safer in Mexico than many of our inner cities.  Mexican people are so nice and so warn, yes there are troubled places but we know where they are.”

The Hill top at Bahia Santa Maria

How does the rally help the locals? “ We don’t change their lives, but I have such good friends watching the kids grow up in Turtle Bay and Mag Bay that I meet for one of two days for the last twenty- five years. Those big burly guys running the pongas, we have known them from when they were in diapers and they know we have known them since then, it’s just really special. Its kind of like New Years Day or the fourth of July for them.”

Spindler sells boating better than anyone I have ever met and if you have never cruised Mexico sign up for the Baja Ha Ha next year. Power and sailboats are welcome and then you can say you did it. It’s a memory you will keep for as long as you live. Have fun, enjoy your boat and check out of the rat race. I strongly recommend it! Also, should this story make it to someone from the National Sailing Hall of Fame I nominate Richard Spindler for the class of 2019, in my opinion, he has earned the recognition.

Sea ya

Baja Ha Ha and a lap around the harbor.

Pacific Seacraft 37 For Sale Len Bose Yacht Sales

Now that I have a better understanding of the General Election and have mailed in my ballot, which was no easy task. I am rummaging through closet and dresser to find all my winter sailing gear. 

“You bet I am going back to Sea” which goes alongside my other saying “ I can’t wait until I can afford this shit!” On October 29 starts the 25 annual Baja Ha HA cruisers rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas with stops in Turtle Bay and Santa Maria.  Newport Beach residents Kathi & Chris Killian aboard their Lagoon 41 Derive and David Hahn J/46 Precision are two boats out of 168 boats that are participating in this year’s rally. I sold the Killian’s their Lagoon 41 last year and at the close, Chris looked up at me and said: “You’re going with me on next years Ha Ha right?”  “Sure,” I said and well I am packing my seabag right after I am done writing this column. I have convinced my wife Jennifer that “This is a work trip” and I am fortunate to have just listed a very clean Pacific Seacraft Crealock 37, which you can find on my blog site at lenboseyachts.blogspot.com, to introduce to any perspective cruisers while attending the rally. See what I did there? 

Before I step aboard Derive my mind wonders to the November 17th Special meeting of the Harbor Commission aboard one of the Balboa car ferries, which will be departing at 0845. I suggest you arrive by 0830 if you want a spot, the purpose of this Special Meeting is to build familiarity with the topics, terminology, and geography frequently reviewed by the Harbor Commission, build rapport between the Public and the Commissioners and identify additional areas of concern in the Harbor.  

Similar to preparing for the General Election lets review the topics and prepare our questions for the special meeting. “ The following is my two cents and what I am thinking which will irritate a number of people. One thing I am good at is listening so please express your views with me.

Click on this chart for points of interest.

If you look at the attached chart and notice the route the Special Meeting will be taking the topics will follow in this order.

1. Deep Water Dredging: Always the highest priority topic within our harbor because it never ends. Some of this topic will be blended in with Harbor Vision, the bucket always hits the sand at cost and disposal. Chris Miller of Public Works understands the permit process and my observations are it just comes down to disposal. Miller is the best person to talk on this topic.

2. Derelict Vessels: Our previous Harbor Master Dennis Durgan did an outstanding job on this topic by strongly encouraging code enforcement in our harbor. Yet one question should be asked, why did The City not qualify for grant money from the states Surrendered and Abandoned Vessel Exchange (SAVE) in 2019? I understand the answer, the real question is how do we not overlap the funds again and who is working on the grant for 2020?

3. RGP 54: One of the best things to ever happen to our harbor yet it needs constant maintenance. Huge topic, my questions will be who is maintaining these permits, how can we improve the process and is it possible for us to ever have an area where we can dispose of clean sand in the harbor?

4. Nav Marker Replacement: Way overdue we have been discussing this topic since 2014 and these markers were to be replaced this spring. I only count three of these old channel markers in the harbor # 4, Just before the County’s Harbor Department which might be considered a range marker to enter the Harbor. # 10 off Balboa Island near the Ferry crossing and # 12 just before the north side if the Lido Channel. Markers  12 & 10 are no-brainers, just look at # 12 it been run into more than one of the old bumper cars at the fun zone. So after you look at the new marker # 11 glance across the bay and look at # 12 just in front of John Waynes old home. Come on guys lets get this task off the list.

5. Harbor Operations: This is kind of irrelevant until the new Harbor Master takes the helm. My concern now is there is no longer any harbor continuity. The people in the bridge have no understanding of the history of our harbor and are really no different than a sheriff who has just transferred from prison duty. My observations are that the minions in the patrol boats should be clean-cut, uninformed and off their cell phones while on duty. I bet I made a few friends with that comment?

6. Harbor Amenities: Wide open topic, a couple of things come to mind with more dinghy racks for offshore mooring permit holders, Bike racks near the public piers, Heads, and showers for offshore mooring permits holders.

7. Marina Park: You can ask about the marina occupancy over the last three years, why the banquet rooms and facility have overly restrictive rules. Two years ago I tried to hold an Opening Day for the Harbor 20 fleet in February and was turned down. Things might have changed by now, yet who monitors staff and the marinas maintenance? Is UCI meeting their objectives of participation in the sailing classes?

8. Code enforcement: My observation is that the City is on the right track, yet lets not        overdue it. This topic blends into harbor operations and my concern of continuity.

9. Mooring Size: This topic will be overthought and should be a judgment call of the Harbor Master which leads to problems itself.

10. SUP Safety: All harbors users need to understand the navigation rules of the road and safe boating. My thoughts are to “Keep it Simple”

11. Alternative Anchorages:  There were a couple last minute hurdles but the city is almost there off of the west end Lido Anchorage, let us not forget Big Corona.

12. Central Ave Pier: We need to let more people know about it and this ties in with the new Harbor Guide.

13. Charter Fleet: It’s important to the harbor, yet what is enough? Marina operators are making larger slips. There will be larger boats, over 80 feet, in the harbor very soon. There is only so much room in the harbor and from my Harbor 20 and Duffy we are at capacity.

14. Mariners Mile: My keg is half full on the Green Mile, my gut tells me it will become an extension of the Balboa Resort with condos connecting down the mile. We will have a cute walkway that’s about it. Reducing noise levels on the harbor will be on future agendas and harbor accessibility will be reduced to nothing.

15. Title 17 Updates: Huge topic make sure to pay attention of the dates of the public outreach.

16. Rental Concessions: Not much different than the Charter Fleet, with when is enough.

17. Harbor Speed Limits: My sources tell me there is some good news coming, let’s hope for the best.

18. Onshore/offshore Mooring Relocations: This also blends into the Harbor Operations topic. If this topic is what I think it is I am all for bringing your ball and chain home with you if you do not have a boat yet.

19. Balboa Yacht Basin: Have to assume this topic will be focused on a Marina facility remodel. This will not be taken well but I am for making the whole marina for 25- foot slips only. Rather than affordable housing lets call it affordable boating with strict use rules, in other words you need to use your boat more than four times a month to keep your slip. Yea, dream on Len.

20. Ruby Beach: Not familiar with this topic lets hope it’s focused on cleaning up the shore moorings.

21. Cruising Guide: Is long overdue let us hope it is made digital and we include drone footage of the harbor.

22. Nearshore Dredging: Again, keep it simple.

Upper Bay Needs lights on Channel Markers

23. Harbor vision: Is all good but why don’t we finish what we have started already and remember the tasks we have forgotten. For example the need for smaller slips in the harbor, launch ramps, The Castaways, Marine recycling centers, Upper bay channel marker lights, improved pump-out stations.

It all makes me think of Thanksgiving Dinner somethings smell and look good others will be passed over like turkey necks. Lets just all keep the conversation civilized and pass the wine, please. 

Sea ya